Leadership Foundations Program 2025
Summary Report · Prepared 2025-10-29
Program snapshot
16 participants across Recreation, Aquatics, and Children’s Services.
11-month blended program in 4 blocks (LMS + journal + webinars + F2F workshop).
100% Reflective Journal & ≥75% Face-to-Face attendance.
2025 results
Descriptor
The Leadership Foundations Program (LFP) is a structured year-long development journey designed to build the core capabilities of emerging and current leaders. The program develops leadership effectiveness through progressive stages — from intrapersonal skills to interpersonal influence, people management, and daily leadership excellence — using experiential learning, reflective practice, and targeted skills development within YMCA South Australia’s values-based culture.
Purpose
To cultivate emotionally intelligent, self-aware, and adaptive leaders who can confidently manage themselves and others, foster high-performing teams, and contribute to a positive, inclusive workplace culture.
Cohort personas (typical roles)
Future Leader
First-year People Leader
Experienced Manager
Learning outcomes
- Self-awareness & self-regulation: recognise strengths/values; manage emotions effectively.
- Emotional intelligence in practice: build empathy, trust, and collaboration.
- People & Culture integrity: apply organisational policies and Fair Work principles.
- Communication & work management: clarity, delegation, time & priority management.
- Growth mindset & continuous improvement: seek feedback and apply reflective practice.
Schedule & structure
- Duration: 11 months
- Blocks: 4 blocks (~11 weeks each)
- Per block: 4 LMS + 4 reflective journals + 2×60-min webinars + 1×7-hr F2F
Quarter 1 — Leadership Foundations: Self-Discovery
Topics: VIA strengths, values→behaviours, personal SWOT; foundations for calm, consistent leadership.
Outcome: shared language for strengths and purpose; improved self-regulation.
Quarter 2 — Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
Topics: EI self-assessments, feedback models, conflict tools, team charters.
Outcome: better psychological safety behaviours; earlier, cleaner conflict resolution.
Quarter 3 — People & Culture Mythbusters
Topics: Fair Work micro-learning (hiring, performance, diversity/discrimination), documentation standards, TANDA training; F2F with P&S.
Outcome: uplift in policy confidence; reduced risk of procedural error.
Quarter 4 — Daily Leadership Skills
Topics: Delegation frameworks, presentation skills, prioritisation (Covey/Eisenhower), daily leadership habits.
Outcome: sharper direction-setting, clearer delegation, and stronger follow-through.
Completed (11)
Nicola Woolford, Andrew Truong, Elizabeth Krznaric, Jarrad Thomas Seaman, Lucy Ligertwood, Kelsey Frost, Kyle Diamond, Maria Pereira, Travis Robert Smith, Clarissa Sartain, Erin Wright.
Not yet completed (5) — reasons vs criteria
- Cooper Martin: Journal 50%
- Ankit Rawat: Journal 5%, F2F 50%
- Jessica Guare: Journal 25%, F2F 50%
- Susan Grigg: Journal 25%
- Shayla Mailes: Journal 70%
- Capability uplift: Shared EI and feedback language; greater confidence with Fair Work processes and documentation.
- Operational hygiene: Clearer agendas, improved delegation, and more reliable follow-through reported.
- Culture signals: Increased appreciation behaviours and balanced feedback in practice and journals.
- Manager sign-off on behaviour change: Line managers confirm one–two observable leadership behaviours at ~60 days post-program.
- Refocus the curriculum mix: Reduce technical/legislative content (retain essentials); strengthen intra/interpersonal skills.
- Streamline topics (four → three blocks):
- Self-Discovery
- Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
- Daily Leadership Skills
- Micro-credential: Internal digital badge on verified completion (lists outcomes and artefacts).
What we heard (qualitative)
- EI & self-awareness: stronger language for triggers; calmer responses under pressure.
- Communication & feedback: role-plays increased confidence for earlier, clearer conversations.
- People & Culture / Fair Work: micro-learning clarified processes; confidence uplift.
- Daily habits: Covey/Eisenhower and delegation tools improved planning and follow-through.
- Delivery: F2F sessions rated highly; minor suggestion to trim some webinar overlap.
Survey snapshots
| Participant | Journal | F2F | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicola Woolford | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Andrew Truong | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Elizabeth Krznaric | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Jarrad Thomas Seaman | 100% | 75% | Completed |
| Lucy Ligertwood | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Kelsey Frost | 100% | 75% | Completed |
| Kyle Diamond | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Maria Pereira | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Travis Robert Smith | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Clarissa Sartain | 100% | 100% | Completed |
| Erin Wright | 100% | 75% | Completed |
| Cooper Martin | 50% | 75% | Not yet completed |
| Ankit Rawat | 5% | 50% | Not yet completed |
| Jessica Guare | 25% | 50% | Not yet completed |
| Susan Grigg | 25% | 75% | Not yet completed |
| Shayla Mailes | 70% | 75% | Not yet completed |